Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

It`s Not Just Gun Control Laws

Tuesday, January 11, 2000

National attention has been given recently to the notion that foreign countries that harshly restrict gun ownership have crime rates much lower than that of the United States. Advocates of anti-gun agendas often make this claim but fail, however, to acknowledge important civil rights differences between criminal justice systems.
JAPAN
Here are some aspects of Japan`s criminal justice system that those captivated by gun control fail to acknowledge:
  • Japanese police routinely search citizens at will and twice a year pay "home visits" to citizens` residences.
  • After arrest a suspect may be detained without bail for up to 28 days before a prosecutor must bring him before a judge. Amnesty International calls Japan`s police custody system a "flagrant violation of United Nations human rights principles."
  • Suspects` confession rate in Japan is 95%.
  • Suspects who stand trial have no right to a jury.
  • Japanese trial conviction rate is 99.91%.
  • The Tokyo Bar Association says Japanese police "engage in torture or illegal treatment. Even in cases where suspects claimed to have been tortured and their bodies bore physical traces to back their claims, courts have still accepted their confessions."
GREAT BRITAIN
Great Britain has lower handgun homicide rates than the U.S., but also lower rates of homicide with knives, feet and fists. As British police superintendent Colin Greenwood asked, "is it also suggested that knives are less readily available in England than they are in the U.S.A., or that American criminals have more hands and feet than their British counterparts?"
  • Britain places strict qualifications on freedom of speech and the right to assemble, allowing, for example, book bans, censorship of videos and prior restraint of speech.
  • Parliament increasingly gives police more power to stop and search vehicles as well as pedestrians. Britain has no Bill of Rights and no true equivalent of the Supreme Court with the power to strike down unconstitutional laws.
  • Police may arrest any person they "reasonably suspect" supports an illegal organization.
  • Civil jury trials in Great Britain have been abolished in all cases except libel; criminal jury trials are rare.
  • Police are allowed to interrogate suspects who have asked that interrogation stop and are allowed to keep defense lawyers away from suspects under interrogation for limited periods. There are strong disincentives for suspects questioned by police to invoke the right to remain silent.
  • Evidence derived from leads developed during a coerced confession is allowed.
  • The grand jury, an ancient common law institution, was abolished in 1933.
Britain`s years of lowest gun crime came in an era when gun controls were virtually non- existent. Increasingly stringent gun controls have been followed by increasing gun crime. Despite tight licensing procedures, handgun-related robbery rose 200% during the past dozen years, five times as fast as the rise in the U.S.
CANADA
Dr. Brandon Centerwall of the University of Washington found that from 1976 to 1980, ethnically and economically similar areas in the U.S. and Canada had virtually identical homicide rates despite their differing firearms laws.
  • Illegally-seized evidence is admissible in Canadian courts, so Canadians have no protection from warrantless police searches.
  • Canadian police, unlike their U.S. counterparts, are not always required to say what they are searching for.
  • Freedom of association is restricted by the government`s keeping tabs on alleged "subversive" groups. Security services maintain files on one of every 40 Canadians.
  • Canadian prosecutors are far more likely than their American brethren to bring criminal charges in what we would consider self-defense cases. In Canada, self-protection is not considered a valid reason for owning firearms.
  • Canadian limits on gun ownership for personal protection may have increased some crimes. From 1978 to 1988, the burglary rate increased 25%, surpassing the U.S. rate. Half of Canada`s burglaries are of occupied homes, compared to only 10% in the U.S.
TRENDING NOW
Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

In a temporary reprieve for Colorado gun owners, the semi-auto ban HB24-1292 has been removed from the calendar. But we cannot let our guard down as gun control advocates can bring it up for a vote at ...

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

Much of the attention this past week in the United States Supreme Court was the oral arguments in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, No. 22-842, a First Amendment case on whether government officials ...

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 24-1292, the semi-auto ban, that lasted over 12 hours where hundreds of patriotic Coloradans overloaded the committee with opposition testimony. The hearing concluded with an ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

News  

Second Amendment  

Monday, March 25, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

In response to the NRA’s victory in Bruen, which secured every American’s right to carry arms, NY passed the “Concealed Carry Improvement Act,” severely restricting carry throughout the state. The 2nd Circuit upheld many of ...

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

On March 19, the city of Chicago filed suit against handgun manufacturer Glock. Seeking to shift responsibility for the city’s woeful governance, Chicago’s lawsuit blames the popular firearm manufacturer for the third-party criminal misuse of ...

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Today, Governor Inslee signed five anti-gun bills into law that were recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. The bills include:

Anti-gun Democrats Seek to Undermine Law Passed to Protect Veterans’ Rights

News  

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Anti-gun Democrats Seek to Undermine Law Passed to Protect Veterans’ Rights

Last week we reported on a major breakthrough on behalf of veterans who risked losing their Second Amendment rights because of a long-running scheme by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report certain beneficiaries ...

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Scheduled for Floor Vote Today!

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Scheduled for Floor Vote Today!

Today, the House is scheduled to vote on HB24-1292, the ban on semi-automatic firearms. Please contact your legislators today by using the button below and urge them to OPPOSE HB24-1292!

Louisiana: Firearms Bills on the Move - Take Action Now!

Monday, March 25, 2024

Louisiana: Firearms Bills on the Move - Take Action Now!

A number of firearm-related bills, including enhanced preemption, are moving in the Louisiana Legislature. It's critical that NRA members and Second Amendment supporters get involved to keep the momentum going!

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

On Wednesday, the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee voted 7-4 to pass Senate Bill 67 to the Senate floor for a vote. 

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.